Morning journal and courier., 1887-03-01
LoNDON,s GREAT PREACHER.

An Interesting Talk About Spurgeon
 by Rev. pr. Peck-Persona1 RecOI-
 lections of a Visit to London.
 At Trinity M. E. church Sunday evening Rev. Dr. Peck preached the third of a series of Sabbath evening sermons on noted Lon- don divines, in which he portrayed to his large audience that wonderful preacher, Charles H. Sturgeon. The text was I Kings, xix, 12, last clause: "And after the fire a still small voice." This was the text from which MT. Sturgeon preached on the occa- sion of Dr. Peck's visit to the London Taber
 naele a few years ago. The sermon was deeply interesting. Dr. Peck said: When anyone returns from visit to London, that
 oity of St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster
 Abbey, Kensington Gardens, London Tower
 and many other immsnsities of renown, the
 question which is almost universally asked
 is, 'Did you hear Spurgeoni" If an impar-
 tial jury of evangelical ministers were to de-
 eide as to who is the most renowned preacher of the world their verdict wonld be that the palm should be awarded to this London divine, the prince of the worlds preachers. MT. Sturgeon is now fifty two years of age.
 His father and grandfather were Congrega-
 tional ministers. When he was fifteen years
 of age the spirit moved in his heart, but he found no peace until fully converted some months after. He happened to wander into
 an out-of the-way church in which a Metho-
 dist preacher proclaimed the glad tidings of
 the Saviour of mankind. On this occasion
 the servant of God was preaching in an ap-
 parently feeble manner when suddenly he
 seemed possessed of an intensity of purpose
 and yearning of soul and cried out, Hook
 unto me and be ve saved, all the ends of the
 earth, for I am God and there is none else"
 11o1r aval Hnr
 The young man did look and was saved.
 He at once began to distribute tracts. At
 sixteen he united with 8 Baptist church. He
 preached when eighteen, and when nineteen
 became pastor of the New Park street Bap-
 tist church, London. The beardless youth
 soon filled the metropolis of the world with
 his fame. Ere long his church was too small
 for his hearers, and going with his congrega-
 ton to Exeter Hall was soon listened to by
 immense audiences. And his is no sensa-
 tional preaching. He speaks as one having authority. His genius is not to be hkened
 to the momentary flash of the ekyrocket, but
 to the steady gleam of a star of the first
 magnitude But it was necessary for his congregation to have a house of worship.
 TheTabernasle was built and occupied in 1861. It seats six thousand. In regard to the inn mense sale of Spurgeon's works l have no statistics, but can say that one publishing house in New York has sold four hundred thousand volumes. Besides the gigantic power he has yielded through his printed works and from the pulpit he has founded pastors college, which is supported by the Tabernacle; an orphanage, support ed by the contributions at the Tabernacle; the Golden Lane mission for the eutcasts, and a second orphanage with sum of money presented to him on the twenty-ffth anniversary of his ministry. And yet all these expenses have not impover- ished his congregation and his church has not become @ poorhouse. "The liberal soul shall be made fat. :" 'There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that with holdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty" I never heard of church dying because it gave too much. They don't die that way. Show me the church dying under the blight of hberality and I shall make pill grimage to that church. I shall climb up it's moss-covered roof and there beneath the blue vault of heaven shall I proclaim, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord" Spurgeens church is not dying but keeps growing stronger and stronger as the years roll on. He has admitted 25,000 members during thirty one years of ministry. He has established forty other chapels throughout the city, each supplied with minister train ed in his pastors college.
 On the day of our visit to the Tabernacle, we arrived rather early and entered by a side door especially for strangers. The building has two galleries almost encircling it, and as the pulpit is somewhat elevated, the minister is right in the midst of his hear CTS. Dr. Peck now wildly described the look and aspect of the great preacher, the intense eagerness and attention of the vast assembly and the wonderful fascination of Spurgeon's address and voice and oratory, the feelings one experiences at hearing six voices joining in the singing and other features of the service The first choir on earth, continued Dr. Peck, would have been burlesque beside these people offer ing up their simple minded praise to their creator, the vast volume of melody rolling and swelling like the voice of great thunders. In the prayer that followed, the great preach CT glowed with devotion. He seemed at times to be wrapped in earnestness with God. He pleaded for each distinct class, and especially for those who had no hope He concluded: ''This is not the voice of one, but of thousands, amen! amen!" and down the aisles and along the galleries there seemed to be an echoing of amen, amen.
 In giving out the second hymn he said: ''Sing softly now and at the beginning of the second verse sing more quickly" He appear ed to be the animating spirit of the whole congregation and all were held by bonds soft as silk, yet strong steel.
 MT. Sturgeon is no close communionist. His communion invitation was: "We invite all true Christians to come; this is the Lords table, not the Baptist's.''
 Dr. Peck then gave sketch of the sermon from the text above mentioned. He conelud- ed: "It is easy, extremely easy to give the secret of his power; he has been baptized by and ia fu11 of the Holy Ghost D